PORTSMOUTH — The hits kept coming on Monday, one after another for the Exeter 14-year-old All-Stars at a critical time.

Sean Lavery. Ben Coate. Bobby Cliche. Each delivered an RBI hit with two out in the top of the fifth and, a little while later, Exeter was celebrating a Babe Ruth state championship after its 6-2 win over Hampton at Leary Field, one that capped a 4-0 tournament.

Now, the challenges of summer keep coming, too. Exeter will represent New Hampshire at the New England Babe Ruth 14-year-old tournament in Westfield, Mass., later this week.

“From game one of this tournament they had a rhythm,” said Exeter coach Bruce Fielding. “They weren't flawless, but they were riding a wave.”

Exeter will open regional play against the host team, Westfield, on Friday at 7 p.m. Their half of the bracket also includes the state champions from Maine and Vermont.

“It's great,” said winning pitcher Brian McGough. “There's not much else I can say. It feels awesome.”

Exeter's No. 3 and 4 hitters, Lavery and Coate, each finished with two hits and an RBI, both producing runs during a three-run fifth that served as the final separation between two teams that have gotten to know one another quite well this summer.

“They're a good hitting team,” said Hampton coach Brian Mills, whose already once-beaten team would have had to defeat Exeter twice to win the title. “We left the ball up a little bit and they hit it hard. Their 3-4-5 hitters are very tough.”

The teams played a slugfest here in the winners bracket final Saturday, with Exeter taking a 12-7 win. But runs were harder to come by on Monday, at least at the start.

Hampton took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly by Patrick Cotter. Exeter answered with two in the top of the fourth, loading the bases with nobody out and getting RBIs from Chris Hanna (fielder's choice) and Mike Davey (sacrifice fly).

Exeter added three more runs with two out in the fifth. Lavery lined a single to left, plating Brad Tucker, who had been hit by a pitch and advanced to third.

Coate followed with a majestic shot to left-center that reached the fence and went for an RBI double. Cliche added a line single up the middle to score Coate and make it 6-2.

McGough (two hits, two runs, five walks, two strikeouts) pitched his team into the sixth inning before yielding to Davey, who retired all six batters he faced to close the game.

It was a neat reversal from last year, when most of these same Exeter players were part of a District IV champion team at the 13-year-old level that didn't perform as well in states.

This time around, Exeter dropped a 4-3 decision to Hampton in districts back on July 11, but a new format sent the top two teams on to the state tournament, as well as host Portsmouth.

Mills gave the ball to his son, Andrew Mills, who'd beaten Exeter in districts. He was touched for an unearned run in the first but not much else before the Exeter bats awoke in the fifth.

Shortstop Evan Welch got Hampton on the board in the first inning with an RBI double. He also made a defensive gem, fully extending to pluck a Davey line drive out of the air in the sixth.

“We knew we certainly could beat them,” said Brian Mills. “Andrew pitched and beat them last week so I knew we had a chance.”

The loss wrapped up a 22-game season for the Hampton All-Stars, which included competing together in a number of AAU tournaments in the region. The majority of them will be freshmen at Winnacunnet High School in the fall.

For Exeter, though, there's more baseball left to play. With Monday's win, it's bought itself at least two more games in another part of the region.

“The reality is they just want to go as far as they can,” said Fielding. “They understand they have to take it a game at a time. They did today.”